Fish and Wildlife Service found that the kill resulted from water diversions to Klamath Basin by farmers and ranchers during a drought year.
In response to a 2007 story in The Washington Post that was critical of United States Vice President Dick Cheney's role in diverting water to farmers and ranchers for political gain,[5] the House Natural Resources Committee began an investigation into his role in instigating the fish kill.
[6] The fish kill played an important role in stirring an effort by local Native American peoples, in concert with environmentalists and fishers, to remove dams on the Klamath River.
[7][8] The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) was carefully negotiated and signed by the tribes, the farmers, and PacifiCorp in 2010, but failed to pass through Congress.
[11] A play called Salmon is Everything was a collaboration between tribal members and Humboldt State University Theatre professor Theresa May to communicate the impact of the fish kill, featuring a cast which included people from the Hupa, Karuk, and Yurok communities.
[12] The play presents the experience of the members of the Yurok, Hoopa Valley, and Karuk tribes, as well as farmers, ranchers, and others invested in the Klamath watershed.